WASHINGTON — Earlier this year, as Republicans sought to ban books with black history and LGBTQ+ themes from schools across the country, the nation’s first openly gay black senator walked onto the Senate floor and published books with black history and LGBTQ+ themes. I read part of it aloud.

“Perhaps for some of you here today, I am the face of one of your fears,” said Democratic Sen. LaFonza Butler. I said this in February, Quote from 20th century poet Audre Lorde. “Because I’m a black woman, because I’m a lesbian, because I’m a black female warrior poet who does the work myself, I’m here to ask you, are you doing your work?”

At the time, Butler was just a few months into his term as California’s junior senator. Mr. Butler’s 14-month term began when he was appointed shortly after the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein in 2023 and ends Monday with Rep. Adam B. Schiff’s term. (D-Burbank) will be sworn in as her successor.

The reading was part of Butler’s broader effort to put into the public record documents that are difficult to access in the conservative state. But it was also an expression of identity that helped propel her to the Senate after Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would appoint a Black woman to Feinstein’s seat if it becomes vacant in 2021.

As Butler, the third Black woman to hold a U.S. Senate seat, leaves office, the identity politics that were central to her rise are now a Democratic Party trying to make sense of its devastating defeat in this year’s election. They are under strict surveillance by members of the public. During the campaign, Republicans dubbed Vice President Kamala Harris a “DEI recruit” (a reference to diversity, equity, and inclusion that implied she was the Democratic candidate because of her race and gender). Former President Trump’s victory was due in part to support among black and Latino voters.

“The only thing she can’t choose is that she’s a black woman,” Butler said in an interview with the Times, reflecting on Harris’ death. She said it was “intellectually dishonest” to blame losses solely on race and gender, but added: “Those barriers, challenges, stereotypes and mindsets are the ones we wish we wouldn’t be.” “It still remains as much as it did.”

Butler began her campaign as a senator focusing on youth development, voting rights and reproductive health, and in recent months has worked to help Harris win the presidential race.

Their bond goes back about 15 years, when Ms. Harris ran for California attorney general and sought support from Ms. Butler, then a leader in the Los Angeles hospitality industry union. When Harris entered the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, Butler became her campaign’s top policy adviser.

And when Harris announced her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination this year, Butler was once again part of a team hoping to see her succeed. In numerous television appearances, Butler defended Harris when pressed. change in her position When asked to comment on issues such as unauthorized border crossings, President Trump’s personal attack About the emergence of Mr. Harris and when prompted for some reason This is to support the vice president’s candidacy for the White House.

Butler too Speech at the Democratic National Convention She told the crowd that her daughter heard that her friend Kamala was running for president and asked if she could be vice president.

“We both graduated from historically black colleges and universities. … We were both raised by mothers who worked hard to provide for us. Each of us , I believe we have the power to change the world if we decide to work together,” Butler said.

Before becoming a senator, Butler was a political operative known for his effective behind-the-scenes organizing. She served as president of EMILYs List, an organization that works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights. He was a partner in an influential political consulting firm that represented Harris and Newsom. and spent years as president of Service Employees International Union Local 15, which represents caregivers and others in California’s service industry.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who attended an L.A. school event with Butler after he was sworn into office, caused controversy when he appointed Butler to fill late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat in 2023.

(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

Although historic, her appointment was met with criticism. Republicans objected to Newsom’s selection of someone who does not live in California. Mr. Butler has long owned a home in California, but while running Emily’s List, he moved to Maryland with his wife and daughter.

Some Democrats were disappointed that Newsom did not select Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), who was actively running for Senate at the time of Feinstein’s death. Lee’s supporters considered her the most qualified candidate because of her decades of experience in Congress. in the letter Urging Newsom to choose Lee; “She is the only person with the courage, vision, and track record to eradicate poverty, stand up to the fossil fuel industry, protect democracy, and tirelessly advance progressive policies,” the Congressional Black Caucus said.

Newsom said he doesn’t want to tip the scales in the primary contest for Feinstein’s seat. But James Taylor, a professor of political science and African American studies at the University of San Francisco, said Newsom’s choice may have been driven by conflicts among California Democrats who believe voters are too liberal. Mr. Lee has been outspoken in criticizing Israel for the war in the Gaza Strip, for example.

“Buttler allowed himself to be taken advantage of,” Taylor said. “If Gavin Newsom wants to honor a black woman in California, it’s Lee or [Los Angeles Rep. Maxine] Waters. He went out of his way to deny Lee that honor. ”

Butler speaks with his mentor, California Sen. Alex Padilla, during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting.

(Alex Brandon/Associated Press)

Congress, especially the Senate, is known for its slow movement. Partisanship can prevail, and it may take many conversations to reach a compromise. This is especially difficult for short-time workers with no seniority.

Butler focused his time on building relationships with colleagues and uplifting the causes he has championed throughout his career. She established a youth advisory committee and On-site hearing on voting rights and was instrumental in securing approval from a federal judge in California. She introduced 33 bills, including: address behavioral health needs Securing federal suffrage for young people people released from prison and limit separation A migrant family detained near the border.

Sen. Alex Padilla, Mr. Butler’s closest colleague as California’s senior senator, said he would continue to work with Mr. Butler on whatever he does next. California’s two senators generally agreed, but they disagreed on at least one notable issue: a bipartisan border security bill that was defeated at President Trump’s request earlier this year.

Most Democrats, including Butler, initially voted in favor of the bill, which included important provisions to strengthen border security but provided no path to citizenship for people in the country illegally. Padilla urged his fellow senators to vote against the bill, saying it fails to provide a solution to illegal immigration.

One of their final acts as colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee was to secure the confirmation of Judge Ann Huang to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to serve as a federal judge in the district. He became the first Korean American.

Padilla recalled calling and emailing Butler every day when he first became a senator.

“She made me laugh a few months after I started checking in less often,” he said. “She asked me, “What happened to your morning email?” I said, “You’re doing more than enough.” The training wheels came off. It’s time for you to ride. ”

Butler said being a senator is a lot like being an organizer, building tactical and strategic relationships and finding common ground. She traces her activist roots, where her job was to “promote, challenge and make things happen,” to “the ability to do today exactly what we were designed to do 248 years ago.” There’s no need to rush anything.”

She said she is focused on working with colleagues across the aisle for legislative wins, even though she personally disagrees with their political views.

State Party Chairman Rusty Hicks and Deacon at a gathering of the California delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer.

(Myung Jae-chun/Los Angeles Times)

“I’m not here to get married. We’re not even dating,” Butler said. “This is a deal and no one should think otherwise.”

She said she secured the vote of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) as one of the judges she wanted confirmed. She and Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced legislation aimed at preventing Opioid use and overdose among youth. And she introduced the bill with Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.). funding maternal mortality research; It was the funding she hoped to secure through the National Defense Authorization Act this month.

“This kind of approach to problem-solving is something we can all learn from,” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said on the Senate floor Thursday.

In his comments to Butler, Mr. It’s just a moment,” he said. “And I’ve watched you figure out how to organize in this chamber for the benefit of the people you represent.”

Mr Butler shot down the idea of ​​running for further public office. She said she didn’t fall in love with the process of becoming an MP or the trap of thinking she was some kind of celebrity.

Still, she beamed with pride as she took to the Senate floor Thursday, not to read a banned book, but to bid farewell with a speech that called out the first and second Black women senators who came before her.

“It is an honor to follow in the footsteps of Dianne Feinstein, who served this chamber so capably for more than 30 years, and to walk the same hallways and share her views with Senator Carol Moseley Braun. This is an amazing honor. “It’s an adventure I never imagined,” Butler wrote in his book, “sharing an office space with Vice President Kamala Harris.” fFinal comments from the floor. “For the sake of the people of California, I can only hope that I was half as good as my predecessors.”